After the release of Battlefield 2042, and in the midst of the developer’s roll-out of much-needed updates for the game, it appears that DICE is undergoing a massive shake-up in terms of leaderships structure. DICE GM Oskar Gabrielson is officially leaving his post, with Respawn Entertainment head Vince Zampella taking the helm as he plays a “bigger role” in the overall Battlefield franchise.
The story comes from GameSpot, where the original report confirms the Battlefield franchise development shake up, and series’ future. Speaking to GameSpot, Zampella described the strategy and how it will affect the Battlefield franchise moving forward:
This is an ‘And’ strategy in many ways. We will continue to evolve and grow Battlefield 2042, and we’ll explore new kinds of experiences and business models along the way that we can add to that foundation to provide an awesome array of experiences for our players. In this universe, the world is interconnected with shared characters and narrative. This universe is also built with our community as we harness the power of Portal and user generated content that puts creativity in the hands of our players.
As for Gabrielson, he is departing the studio at the end of the year, which is sometime this month, and had this to say regarding this move:
It is hard to put into words my passion for our studio, our teams and the Battlefield franchise. The last decade with the team at DICE has been nothing short of amazing. From the debut of Battlefield 3, to Star Wars Battlefront and Battlefield 1, and of course the return of all-out warfare with Battlefield 2042,” Gabrielson said. “There’s just been so many great memories working with our teams. DICE has some of the best talent in the industry and the team is in great hands.
While Zampella might be the new big boss when it comes to the Battlefield franchise, DICE will have a new GM in Rebecka Coutaz, who was the former studio director at Ubisoft Annecy. Gabrielson will be helping Coutaz transition into their new role in the studio, and the former DICE GM will be working outside of EA, though there’s no announcement made just yet.
It will be interesting to see how Zampella will handle his new role as the new lead for DICE, and what will happen to Respawn Entertainment in the process. Recently, the studio’s first hit title, Titanfall, has been delisted from storefronts and will be removed from subscription services next year.
Source: GameSpot